Not so Dead
by MajesticBurn
Summary: I didn't like the people that died in the movie, so... WALA! RnR if you'd like! Ratchet comes back, so some swears. Ch3 Really you? is up.
1. Ratchet?

This is a story I wrote because I didn't like character deaths or season 4 much, so I hunted down the names of everyone it actually said died, and a list of 'bots never seen again, so presumed dead. I hope you enjoy it!

By the way, I probably won't be very responsive today and tomarow, someone sent me an E-mail, I should've trashed it without reading it, but once I read it, the only thing about it that made me less mad was the fact the moron is repeating freshmen year, she's gonna be 17 and a freshmen, while the rest of us of her same age are juniors, serves her right for screwing around rather than doing schoolwork or... well... actually showing up for school every day...

Sorry for my little outburst to my readers, I just needed to get that off my chest before I shot someone...

I want my Sideburns...goes and gets them, then hugs them

—Official—

Ratchet

Prowl

Brawn

Iornhide

Wind Charger

Huffer

Wheeljack

Blue Streak

—Speculated—

Grapple

Hound

Sunstreaker

Sideswipe

Tracks

Red Alert

Inferno

Whew! I feel better now, enjoy the fic, and please let me know what you think!

**Not so Dead**

Ratchet?

First Aid groaned on the med table, he had taken a fair shot to the chassis, and needed rest before he could repair himself. He wasn't the only one in the med bay; that was why he was so reluctant to charge. Gold Bug, Jazz, Blaster, and Powerglide had all been injured in the same fight, all already deep in recharge.

First Aid allowed his systems to begin to slowly shut down, he had always hated this part of recharging, he felt so helpless, and he had at times envied his predecessors for working to the point of throwing caution to the wind.

"Ratchet… Wheeljack…" he whispered to himself, a stabbing at his spark chamber, "If only I'd been as good a medic as you… then maybe I could've… you'd still be…" he groaned as his systems nearly immobilized him and his mind began to numb.

A welding sound grabbed his attention as a piece of the wall fell, like it was going to crash, when a two black hands grabbed one side of the piece, two red ones the other side, setting the piece down quietly. First Aid frantically tried to mobilize and stop the intruders; they were staying just out if his line of sight.

First Aid hadn't been so frightened since he had to take over for Ratchet, his vocalizers weren't quite ready for any sound yet, he knew he was helpless. Then he heard a familiar voice say, "Knock out those damn security cameras, and finish off-lining First Aid will ya?"

First Aid's optic's flickered as his vocalizers returned, "Ratchet?" a hit against the back of his head, and he blacked out.

"_First Aid? First Aid! Wake up First Aid!_" First Aid's optics on-lined to Kup standing curiously over him.

"Uhn… Kup?"

"I'd have thought you'd have waited for Preceptor to do everyone's repairs-, amazing job by the way."

"I-I didn't do any repairs!"

"Well than who did Lad?"

He looked around, seeing his patients repaired, even himself repaired to a precision he'd never perfected, the only 'bot he knew that could repair so many 'bots in such a short period of time was… "Ratchet!"

Kup's optics flickered, "Don't talk crazy or we'll have to turn you over to Perceptor."

"I'm serious Kup! I heard his voice! I saw his shadow! I lived in that shadow, I know it better than anyone!"

Kup put his hand on his shoulder, "Son, I know ya miss him but-"

"What are you babbling about?" Perceptor asked, "Must I examine your head?"

First Aid looked at the wall that had collapsed; it looked fine, except for a pale mark along it. He looked up to the security camera, it was smashed, "How do you all explain those! I heard Ratchet! I thought they were Decepticons until I heard Ratchet yelling to scrap the camera and knock me out!"

He looked around again, and saw, on the wall near where Gold Bug had been, a fist mark in the wall, one he hadn't seen since Ratchet had left. He bolted up and ran over, pointing at it, Kup shaking his head, "We all miss him Lad, but that's no reason to make up a story and fake evidence to-"

"No one has that size fist and can make that big a dent in this metal without even scraping the paint on his hand except for Ratchet!" He looked into Kup's optics, then into Preceptor's "I'm not mad! I know Ratchet's fist mark; he almost bludgeoned me with it more times that I can count!"

Blaster woke up, groaning and moving drearily, "Uhn… Morinin' guys, sup?"

Before anyone could say anything the announcer sounded, "Guys? Are we expecting a shuttle?"

Blaster cocked his head, "That's weird… Yo Jazz, Powerglide! Up an' adam mans!"

Jazz rolled over and almost fell off the bunk, "Eh… Can't I be "Up an' adam" right here?"

Powerglide sat up, "We're coming… we're coming…"

—

Everyone looked at the screen as they tried to gain communication with the shuttle bearing the Autobot insignia. In annoyance Springer pounded on the communication button, "Respond right now! Let us know you're not Decepticons before someone gets hurt!"

A click and buzz was a momentary response before a female voice arose over the communicator, "This is Firestar of Elita-1's unit, requesting permission to land."

Hotrod shook his head, "You must have a scraped circuit femme, the Autobot femmes in Elita-1's unit were on the Part of Cybertron Unicron scrapped, there were no survivors in that part of the planet, so who are you!"

There seemed to be some confusion between at least three femmes on the other side, and a different voice answered, "This is Cromia, and there has been some mistake Hotrod, true we were supposed to be there, but something came up and we had to leave Cybertron rather abruptly, who's in charge over there? Kup or Magnus?"

Hotrod's optics narrowed, "I_ am _in charge here. So who are you really?"

"Dimmit Hotrod! This not a joke! We have to take information to the leader of the Autobots!"

Hotrod was about to snap again when Arcee raised her hand, "Cromia? This is Arcee, Optimus Prime is in Moscow at the moment, can you please land and wait for him?"

More muttering, sounding like someone said: You were right Elita. Eventually Firestar's voice returned, "Alright then."

—

When the shuttle landed, all six of Elita's team excited, including Elita-1 herself. Cromia looked Hotrod directly in the optics, "I told you it was us you stupid-"

Elita put her hand on Cromia's shoulder, "It's alright Cromia, that isn't important."

Ultra Magnus looked dead on his feet, "It… it's good to see you're all alright."

Elita nodded solemnly, "I know."

Moonracer ran up to Powerglide the moment she saw him, "Powerglide!" She whimpered, grabbing him in a death-grip hug.

"Moons! I… I mean we… we thought you were… I missed you Moonracer."

Arcee looked at the femmes, "What's this all about? Why do you need to talk to Optimus so bad?"

"How's he even alive?" Elita asked, "I felt him die."

"He did die Elita, but we had a Quintison bring him back because we needed his help." Magnus answered, "He's alright you know Elita."

"I know, I felt that too." She sighed, and then whispered, "We're here about the others who died in that battle."

Optimus Prime rolled up, Skylinks and Cosmos flying near him, landing beside him before transforming with him, Optimus freezing, "Elita!"

"Finally." Elita mumbled, looking away from Prime to Cromia, "Tell them what you saw Cromia, this needs to be dealt with immediately."

Prime cocked his head sideways, "We thought you were…"

"Yes but we knew you were dead Optimus, now please let Cromia explain, this is gravely important! It's about the warriors that died in the same battle you did!"

Firestar held her head, "I know you didn't intend gravely to be a pun, but it came out that way Elita."

"Will you let me speak!" Cromia snapped, waving her hand in annoyance, "Now hush and listen to me!"

—To Be Continued—

For some reason I couldn't get the boarders to show up, so I did the best I could do to seperate scenes. Please let me know what you thought so far!


	2. Alive?

—Official—

Ratchet

Prowl

Brawn

Iornhide

Wind Charger

Huffer

Wheeljack

Blue Streak

—Speculated—

Grapple

Hound

Sunstreaker

Sideswipe

Tracks

Red Alert

Inferno

—Update to Speculated—

Mirage

Not so Dead

Alive?

—Flashback—

Cromia walked through the thick alien forest, she and the femmes had split up to look for some energon, when she heard a familiar voice, she couldn't make out the words, but it suddenly occurred to her that that voice belonged to the Autobot tactician, Prowl.

She rushed toward the voice, seeing Prowl, far below her, shooting himself in the face, but nothing happened, and Prowl's fist pummeled through some rock. A chuckle caught both Prowl and Cromia's attention, "Oh so now you're attempting it too? Oh how low the mighty have fallen."

"Shut it Brawn." Prowl growled, turning around to see the mini-bot staring at him, "It doesn't matter, this is pointless. We're not supposed to be here. I just want to die without harming them…"

A whiny, complaining voice that could only belong to Huffer arose, "This is hopeless, we're doomed, why me, er, why us!"

Prowl picked Huffer up by his neck and slammed him against a large nearby wall, "Shut the pit up. You died in an instant! I was completely immobilized, my audios worked for hours before the last of my systems gave out! I envied Iornhide for being able to move, to try to stop them, at least he was put out semi-quickly!" He angrily dropped the bot, shaking above him in anger.

"Now, now, calm down, we'll find it." Wheeljack mumbled sadly, trying to fake hope, though not very well.

Wind Charger, Grapple, Hound and Blue Streak drove up and transformed, "Well?" Prowl muttered, voice hopeless.

They shook their heads and Blue Streak sighed, "I'm sorry Prowl, we couldn't find anything."

"Where's the others?" Prowl hissed, just as Ratchet, Red Alert, Tracks, Mirage and Inferno drove up, transforming, "Well? Any luck?"

"Yes Prowl." Ratchet snapped, "We found it, that's why we have it and we're all jumping for fragging joy!"

Blue Streak shook his head, "You don't have to yell and be sarcastic Ratchet."

"The hell I don't! I just want to lay down and die again, but look how that's turned out so far, I've been resurrected on babysitting duty! I even have to baby-sit some damned cons! I don't even have anyone to fix, so shut the slag up you damned gunner!"

Prowl looked around tiredly, "Where in Primus' name are those ignorant twins?"

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's voices could be heard, and they tumbled below, laughing hysterically, Sideswipe saying, "Oh come on you guys! You gotta admit not being hurt is fun!"

Sunstreaker continued, "Yeah, and my paint is never scratched!"

"Well, I must admit, it is nice not to have to put your aft's back together." Ratchet hissed, rubbing his head, "We're wasting our time. We know the only place we'll find it. Then we can die in peace."

"I still don't get why we can't go to earth and show our new selves off to Jazz and the gang." Sideswipe perked, not noticing Prowl wince at Jazz's name.

Red Alert's optics narrowed and shoved his finger it the Lamborghini's face, "_No_! I have never endangered my comrades before, and you _know_ how much danger we could put them in!"

He groaned, "Oh okay! But we've got to do something soon!"

Ratchet rubbed his head, and Hound whispered, "How do we know for sure they haven't gotten rid of it?"

Ratchet nodded while Wheeljack answered, "We were the only ones to know about it besides First Aid, and he never would have…"

Jet engines could be heard, and Skywarp and Thundercracker transformed and landed amongst the Autobots, Thundercracker looked up and shook his head, "Nothing."

"Damn it." Prowl growled, looking at Ratchet, "I guess we have no choice then."

"Hey! Where's Iornhide?" Sideswipe interrupted, looking around, his words sending chills trough Cromia's systems.

Cromia heard footsteps behind her, and a familiar voice, "Cromia…"

She began to turn, "Iornhide!"

"I'm sorry." His voice whispered, then a strike on the back of her head, followed by darkness.

—End Flashback—

"… When I came to, Moonracer had found me and taken me back to the ship. We went back and found this…" Cromia pulled a piece of metal out of her subspace, "A piece of Prowl's gun, it ripped off the end of the gun when it hit the rock."

Jazz pulled it out of her hand, "This is from Prowl's gun. I'd recognize it anywhere." Jazz shook his head, "I… I don't believe this… And why were they conversing with dead Decepticons?"

Cromia shook her head, "I don't know, but it didn't seem a happy partnership." She looked at First Aid, "Do you know what thing Ratchet was talking about?"

First Aid's optics flickered, "…Something only Ratchet, Wheeljack and I knew abou-… Oh **_slag_**!" First Aid bolted for the med bay, everyone following him curiously, entering after him to see him with his feet against the wall, back against a shelf of med tools, barely moving the huge shelf, but when he did get it to move he went tumbling to the ground, crashing to the newly exposed floor, that had a lighter colored panel over it, "Slag slag slag!" First Aid shouted, moving the panel aside.

"What you want?" Slag asked, receiving glares for his stupidity.

Grimlock shook his head, "Him no mean you Slag, him mean something not good, right you First Aid?"

First Aid began to climb down, "Slaggit! This tunnel had nothing marking it, Ratchet and I made sure of it, they must've put the panel there so I wouldn't notice…" He looked frantically around in the knee-deep hole, shaking his head, "No, no, no, it's not here!"

"What isn't here?" Optimus asked.

"This serum Wheeljack accidentally created… it can break down nearly any substance, it's… its like nuclear waist, and with everything it touches it gets bigger! We started out with a gram and ended up with half a ton before we found a substance that could hold it without breaking down. We agreed to keep it a secret because if we used it to stop the Decepticons… it would destroy everything in its path for… for eons! It would completely destroy whatever planet it was unleashed on, eventually get to that planet's sun, and it would explode outward, absorbing everything around! Then going further an-"

Optimus out a hand on the medic's shoulder, "Calm down, don't tell us about impending doom, tell us about what they'd do with it."

"I… I don't know… somewhere where it'd cause the least amount off damage… I… I don't… I just don't know!" he kicked the ground and heard a piece of metal scrape along the ground. He knelt down and picked it up; it was a data pad.

He pushed the button, and Ratchet's head floated up as a hologram, "First Aid… I knew you'd find this eventually… especially with the femmes having spotted us. Don't worry, we have a plan, we just want to help. By the way, did you learn nothing from me? Read those med books I left you!"

A shiver went through all there systems; that was their medic, "Ratchet…"

"I know you're babbling by now so shut up and listen; please get all Autobots in the vicinity off Charr, we just want to help, and keep you all safe, we don't want Upsilon to harm all of you, through us. Goodbye."

Cromia spun around to look at Elita, "Upsilon? Didn't you say something about that after you returned from that one mission?"

"Elita?" Optimus whispered, looking at her.

She looked away for a moment, then cleared her throat, "All you need to know right now is: if the Upsilon I know _is_ involved, we need to contact them right this instant."

—To Be Continued—


	3. Really you?

Okay, I don't have anyone new to add to the list, this'll be my last update for a while, tommarow school starts, so I won't have much time. Enjoy the chapter!

—Official—

Ratchet

Prowl

Brawn

Iornhide

Wind Charger

Huffer

Wheeljack

Blue Streak

—Speculated—

Grapple

Hound

Sunstreaker

Sideswipe

Tracks

Red Alert

Inferno

Mirage

Not so Dead

Really you?

Hound looked out the window at the stars speeding by the ship, his fuel pump would be racing if it could, he missed earth more than he could describe, and for that short time they were on earth his spark ached horribly. Tracks had felt the same, though he'd never admit it.

Red Alert was walking around nervously, Inferno, Wind Charger and Thundercracker watching him walk around, Inferno finally groaned and muttered, "Will you quit that Red? You're making me dizzy."

"Shut up." Prowl hissed from his lone spot across the room, leaning his head back over his seat, holding his head, he really was overstressing about everything, then again, no one could blame him.

Skywarp growled, "Remind me again why we're doing this?"

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked at the Decepticon in surprise, was he actually saying what they were thinking? Sunstreaker cleared his throat, "I second the question."

"Yeah!" Brawn smirked, "Why don't we just take this stuff to Upsilon an' see how he likes a piece of his own medicine!"

Huffer sighed, "You know why Brawn, if we try anything against him…"

Blue Streak finished for him, "Then he's going to destroy Cybertron and Charr."

Ratchet looked up from his growling to Wheeljack and Grapple, "Do you think they even know we still give a pointless damn about them? No matter what we do, no matter what happens, when the Quintisons are out of his way; do you really think he'll stop there?"

Iornhide looked up from his conversation with Mirage, "What're ya sayin' doc?"

"You know what I'm saying." Ratchet glowered over him, wondering how such a hardened warrior could be so naïve, "That fragger isn't going to spare anyone's lives because he promised us! He wants us to destroy his own, why would he hesitate to destroy ours?"

Thundercracker looked up, "Well then what do we do?"

Prowl glared at them all, "Absolutely nothing."

Everyone looked at him in surprise, but Blue Streak was the only one to speak up, "Prowl! What's wrong with you? Have you gone totally mental?"

"Have all of you? How can you laugh and joke and be happy when it was such a good place in the Matrix! I understand why you Decepticons don't want to go back to the pit, but-"

Ratchet put his hands on Prowl's shoulders, "You remember?"

Prowl looked to the ground, "Vague images, voices, you wouldn't be so chipper if you were hearing and seeing them too."

Mirage cocked his head sideways, "That explains a lot, besides, most of the 'bots you had to live for were there, the rest of us…"

Sunstreaker looked sadly at Prowl, "But what about Jazz? He's probably still crushed that three of his best friends, us, died, do you want him to die too because you've become a spineless coward who just wants to go back to the safety of the Matrix!"

Sideswipe's optics flickered, "Don't cross the line bro." When Sideswipe was telling him to tread cautiously, everyone knew to be careful.

Prowl shook his head, "It's alright Sideswipe; he's right."

"He is?" Ratchet said in surprise, even more so when Prowl nodded.

"He's right. I'm being selfish about this. We might not be able to do anything to save our races from each other, but if we stop Upsilon…"

"…They might have some sort of shot." Skywarp finished, nodding in agreement.

A com link beeped on the ships com, everyone afraid it was Upsilon, Ratchet snapped, looking at Blue Streak, "No one answer that; got it?"

"Why is everyone looking at me?" Blue Streak growled.

"Respond!" Everyone looked at the com, the voice, was that who they thought it was?

"Optimus Prime?" Prowl whispered, making the Decepticons look to the ground sadly.

"You lot are lucky." Skywarp finally said, "No one in the Decepticons, even if they knew we were alive would try to contact us to help. If nothing else, you owe them a goodbye."

Iornhide looked at the Decepticons as Thundercracker nodded in agreement, "Are mi' audios malfunctionin'? Did I just here what I thought I just heard from Decepticons?

"Optimus? You're alive?" Blue Streak asked through the com, bringing Optimus' picture onscreen.

"BLUE STREAK!" Everyone shouted at him, making him wince.

"Don't yell at him, please, just explain what's going on!" First Aid begged, his face showing up on the bottom of the screen.

Ratchet's optics narrowed, "Shut up kid, this doesn't involve you, yet."

Wheeljack shook his head, "Don't yell at poor First Aid, he never did anything wrong."

"Like hell he didn't! His medic skills are horrible!"

First Aid couldn't help but smile, "Well, you never finished teaching me."

"You're a moron kid, that's your creators' fault, not mine."

Wheeljack waved his hand dismissively, "He means he's glad you're okay, he was worried about ya, and everyone else who was hurt."

Cromia pushed through, "Iornhide, front and center."

"Cromia I-" He started, but she cut him off.

"Shut-up." She looked him dead in the optics, "Under ordinary circumstances, I'd talk to Prowl about this, but from what I saw he's gone off the deep end."

Prowl shook his head and growled, "No, I'm just not the old Prowl, I'm fine."

Jazz's spark sunk at the look on Prowl's face, and the tone in his voice, this was not the Prowl he knew so well, but Cromia continued, "Elita-1 has had contact with Upsilon before."

"What?"

Elita pushed into center view, "I saw Upsilon… well, shortly after Unicron's attack on Cybertron. I had been separated from the femmes on a rather… peculiar planet… but then I saw a Quintison…"

"Upsilon." Ratchet muttered; looking to the ground, sensing what was coming next.

"He was talking erratically to himself, he said Cybertronians owed a debt they could never repay to his kind, but his kind deserved to be obliterated along with all Cybertronians." She sighed, shaking a little, "…And then he looked right at me and said, "I'd use your own miscreant kind against each other… even the dead." Then he hit me with a spark-AL defibrillator."

Optimus looked at her in surprise, but Ratchet said what was on everyone's mind, "How exactly did you survive that?"

"He missed and hit my ankle, if he had hit any higher up…" she shook her head, "The point is… he thought I was dead…" she held out a vile of searing purple ooze, "He said it'd fix the damage the Quintisons have done."

"What are you-…?"

"This could be the answer; it might even help all of you!"

Prowl made a low hiss, startling everyone, "And you're stupid enough to believe him? Although, I must admit, it couldn't possibly make things worse for us… but I find it rather pointless."

That was all Jazz could take, "What in the inferno crawled up your aft and died?"

Prowl winced rather noticeable, whispering timidly, "I'm just tired. None of us has charged since…" he shook his head, trying futilely to remember, "Since whenever it was we… since we were revived, whenever that was."

Jazz looked sadly at him, "Man, I know this has to be hard, but we're you're friends man! We want to help!"

Prowl almost laughed, "You told me something once Jazz, do you remember the night the Decepticons first took total control over Cybertron? Do you remember what you told me?"

If it were possible Jazz's face would have lost all color, and under his visor his optics widened, "Man, you promised never to say _any_thing about that!"

"I won't, but you know what you said, about me, and that's why you're silly friendship speech doesn't complicate things for me."

"Prowl man…"

"Spare me." Prowl walked away from the group, "You decide what to do. I frankly don't care anymore." He left the room, as soon as the door snapped shut behind him he silently fell to his knees, hands covering his face, "Why me?" He eventually pulled himself to his feet, wishing more than anything in the universe that he could just lie down and fall into recharge, "Why?" he whispered, searching his memory for answers.

The nect chapter is Prowl's flashback to when he woke up. Okay? Yeah, Reviews are aprriciated!


End file.
